Septic Systems and Wells Maintenance

Andy Lazur, Ph.D., State Extension Specialist - Water Quality, from the Univerysity of Maryland Extension, was the guest speaker at the 2019 RGCA Annual Meeting. He gave an overview of septic systems and the need for ongoing maintenance to keep them in good working order as well as to prevent contamination of well water. 

He sent the following letter after the meeting. 

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As I mentioned in the workshop, I want to stress the importance of homeowners testing their wells annually for nitrate and coliform bacteria. This will identify if there is any contamination from septic systems. If a positive coliform bacteria result is observed, then a follow up test for E.coli is necessary. If that is positive, then the water should not be used for drinking until the issue is resolved. Identifying the source of bacteria is required and the well would have to be disinfected and retested a few weeks later to confirm bacteria are not present. I have attached MDE's list of certified well drillers. These companies can also service wells including inspection and disinfection. MDE's website has other resources related to wells: 

https://mde.state.md.us/programs/Water/Water_Supply/Pages/Residential_Wells.aspx

If a well has not been tested for several or more years, we recommend expanding the analysis to include other paramters. Please see our blog which has a recent post on testing wells: 

https://breathingroom.umd.edu/2019/02/26/could-your-drinking-water-use-some-spring-cleaning/ There a few other posts on well water and septic maintenance.  
 

MDE's Onsite Division has great resources on their website including a list of certified septic installers and inspectors:

https://mde.state.md.us/programs/Water/BayRestorationFund/OnsiteDisposalSystems/Pages/OnsiteSystems.aspx   
I also suggest that for any well or septic issue that homeowners contact the Harford County Health Dept. - Environmental Health - Resource Protection office ( https://harfordcountyhealth.com/environmental-health-resource-protection/; 410-838-1500). We have worked with them and they are a great resource.  

I hope this information will be of benefit to your community, providing tools to help maintain both wells and septic systems and helping to protect their health. 

Please contact me if you need additional information or have questions. 

301-789-5256 lazur@umd.edu http://extension.umd.edu/well-and-septic